JAMES LASHER - CHARISMA NEWS
The times feel like they are quickening.
News cycles are less than 24 hours and information is being pumped through people's attention spans at a staggering rate.
This environment makes it easy to miss what God is doing in the midst of the chaos plaguing the world during these prophesied times.
Pastor Jimmy Evans, founder and president of XO Marriage, spoke at Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia, to kick off Pastor Jentezen Franklin's month-long "Signs of the Times" series.
Widely known as a marriage-focused pastor, Evans spends a large amount of time studying and discussing the end times, as well as the Bible prophecy that foretold the days we live in.
"Thirty percent of the Bible is prophecy, and most of that has to do with the days that we are living in," explains Evans.
"This is the most prophesied time in human history...thankfully the Lord told us what was going on," he adds.
Not content to simply give a pleasant sermon on a topic that easily catches the ears of listeners, Evans proceeded to offer a proven prophetic timeline of events determining that we are living in the end times.
Here are seven prophetic events that represent the fulfilling of prophecy:
- Israel Reborn for the Second Time, 1948 (Isa. 11).
"Israel is the only nation that has been dispossessed twice and [has] come back to be a nation," says Evans.
Having been destroyed by both the Babylonians and the Romans, the hand of God still guided the nation of Israel and re-established the land the according to His timeline of restoration.
- Israel Reborn in One Day, 1948 (Isa. 66).
"May 14, 1948, the British mandate over Palestine ended, and David Ben Gurion, who was the leader of Israel, declared Israel's independence. On that day, our president, Harry Truman, recognized Israel as a nation [and] other nations followed suit. In one day, Israel became a nation in fulfillment of Isaiah 66," Evans says.
- Jerusalem Went from Gentile Control to Israeli Control, 1967 (Luke 21).
"When the Jews regained Israel in 1948, they did not get all of Jerusalem. They only got West Jerusalem, they did not get East Jerusalem," Evans explains. "There was a war called The Six Day War in June 1967 and at that time the Jews took all of the city of Jerusalem."
The unification of Jerusalem into Israeli control ended the time of her being trampled underfoot of the Gentiles who had been governing parts of the city for centuries.
- Russian Jews Emigrate to Israel, 1989 (Jer. 16, 23, 31).
"This is talking about the end times and is talking about God taking Israel, not from Egypt, not from anywhere else, but from the north country. Well, if you look on a world map...directly north of Israel there's Syria, there's Turkey and then there's Moscow. The farthest north country from Israel is Russia. In 1989, the Iron Curtain fell...the Soviet Union fell. Since then, 1.7 million Jews have emigrated from Russia to Israel," says Evans.
- Explosion of Knowledge and Travel, 2000-Now (Dan. 12).
"[The angel said to Daniel] here is how you know you will be living in the end times: travel will increase and knowledge will increase," Evans tells the congregation.
Referencing air travel, Evans explains how a person can circumnavigate the globe in as little as 24 hours, and even go into space, with enough money.
The increase of knowledge of today's culture has yet to be fully examined, as Evans says, "2023 is the year of artificial intelligence...It is revolutionizing the world [with] a tsunami of knowledge.
"It is the most significant and world-changing invention in the history of mankind."
- The Apostasy of the West from Traditional Christianity, 2010-Now (2 Thess. 2)
"The book of 2 Thessalonians was written specifically to comfort people concerning the return of Jesus and to tell them you haven't been left behind," says Evans. "He's [Paul] specifically saying here's what's going to happen, the Rapture has not happened and it's not going to happen until he says, 'that day will not come unless the falling away comes first.'"
Evans proceeded to point out that since the removal of the Ten Commandments and prayers from schools, entire generations have decayed morally and spiritually due to the erasure of God from American culture.
- The Two Witnesses Will Testify on the Temple Mount, the preparation is now (Rev. 11).
"Why are they so hated?" asks Evans. "Well, the Jews are ready to rebuild the Temple right now. There is going to have to be a rebuilt Temple in Israel...so why are the witnesses so hated? Because they are going to protect the Temple builders. There is going to be a lot of people [that] do not want that Temple built and the two witnesses are bulletproof."
But through all the fear, speculation and uncertainty that come with people discussing the end times, Evans wants to encourage Christians not to fear, because they are on the side of the victor.
"Can I give you the Good News? Jesus is coming." 
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
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